What Have You Done?
by KerryVeritas
Summary: When Marian realises her betrothed, Guy, has murdered her former love Robin, she embarks on a mission of vengeance, but she finds herself conflicted. Can she kill the man whom she hopelessly loves? Based on a video by Veritas724.
1. Chapter 1: An Encounter at Nottingham

This story is based on a video I made, it's now on YouTube under the same name, made by me (Veritas724). It's worth a watch in its own way, as it epitomizes the angst and tragedy portrayed in this story, but the lack of sufficient clips (such as ones for the scenes at the end of the story) and the abundance of delicious clips (such as Guy shirtless...) takes away a bit from the story I was trying to tell. It was the first time a video I made failed to portray the story I saw in my mind. While I am more prominent as a "vidder" than a writer, writing is my first and foremost passion. This is my first try at a fanfiction, and I'm afraid I don't know all the rules and lingo, but I hope the story speaks for itself. And I feel compelled to say that I am not a fan of Guy/Marian in any way, so this storyline is even more of a stretch for me than it might appear.

A bit of blood and gore with some adult situations.

* * *

Chapter 1: An Encounter at Nottingham

The corridors of Nottingham Castle were always sinister in nature. They were lit only by torches, but the haunting memories the castle held seemed to echo through the halls. Lady Marian, a former favorite at the castle, now walked purposefully past soldiers who didn't conceal their leering, but she kept her chin high and her raven hair behind her shoulders in a dignified and statuesque fashion. Despite the whispering among the vying elites, Lady Marian was still revered for her composure, deportment, and innate ability to overpower the opposite sex with her large blue eyes.

Those eyes narrowed as a familiar figure came into their view. He was a tall, brusque man with sweeping black hair, a long nose down which he liked to intimidate people with his glinting blue eyes, and his usual day-old stubble. The women of the castle wondered if he kept the stubble on purpose to add to his appeal, or if his facial hair really grew back that fast. Marian, however, never wondered about such mundane things as Sir Guy of Gisborne's facial hair.

At least, not since last night…


	2. Chapter 2: A Series of Memories

Chapter 2: A Series of Memories

_Robin glared at her as he slumped against a tree. "You're stirred by him."_

_Marian bit her lip and looked away, toward Guy, who was bound and gagged and under the watchful eye of Much, well out of earshot. _

_"He said it himself," Robin continued. "And I saw you that night when you went to visit him - the look on your face. Don't lie to me."_

_"As a human being -"_

_"Don't insult me, Marian." Robin leaned forward, a sneer on his lips and pity in his eyes. "He's a monster."_

_"You don't know him like I do."_

_"That's my point," Robin snapped._

_Marian shifted nervously, wishing she weren't standing over Robin as if he were in trouble._

_"He tried to kill me, Marian. He had an illegitimate child and left it for dead in the woods -"_

_"You don't know that was him!" Marian protested, her heart wrenching at the very thought and at the look on Robin's face. She was causing him anguish, and he had enough going on with the poor of Locksley and the neighboring villages without having to worry about her. "Look, Robin, **I know I should stop believing**."_

_"It's your greatest weakness, Marian - you think Gisborne has some good in him."_

_"Everyone has some good in them!" _

_"Yes and some people choose not to show it."_

_"Rubbish!" Marian exclaimed._

_"Everything is a choice!" Robin said, losing some of his composure. "You told me that!"_

_"Maybe the difference between you and he isn't so huge," Marian rationalized. "Isn't that the Robin Hood thesis? That one man is much like another? Why can't you apply your views to someone whose been deprived of love?"_

_Robin, whose expression had grown steadily more disbelieving as Marian talked, scoffed and muttered, "Deprived of love!"_

_"Robin, I think you've been wrong about him -"_

_"No. Trust me. I've been right about him. He's tried to kill me before, and he'll try to kill me again. That's why I have to kill him."_

_"No," Marian said firmly, so loudly that Much looked over in alarm. "I forbid you."_

Marian jerked awake, covered in a cold sweat, and sat up in bed. She was in her room, and the sky was barely turning grey - dawn was approaching. She hurried out of bed and lit a candle in a feeble attempt to chase away the darkness and sadness that threatened to engulf her.

She opened the shutters to her window and leaned out, looking straight down at the spot where Robin had stood so many times before. If she let her eyes slide out of focus, she could almost still see him there, begging her to run away with him to the forest with his trusty band of outlaws…

A single tear dripped from her eye and landed on the ground below, forcing Marian's vision back into focus. There were dancing shadows at the tree line, almost as if Robin's gang was back again, checking on her father or asking her for entry into the castle. There was a whisper on the wind, as if Robin was warning her against pending danger. There was a gentle, flowery smell wafting over her, as if enticing her from her private, self-imposed prison, and Marian, out of sadness and loneliness, wept.

It happened every time she had that nightmare. She always dreamt it the exact same, because that was how it had actually happened, nearly a year before. She'd forbade Robin from killing Guy, the man she would never confess to loving, though in her heart of hearts, she'd known it was true. Much had hurried over, had helped to convince Robin that he wasn't a killer, that Guy wasn't worth killing, and Robin had finally consented, though he'd treated Marian with resentment until the day he'd left, again, for the Holy Land.

It was hard to believe that Much had returned only three months ago, bedraggled and alone. Robin had died during war.

It was as if Marian was living those first few months from hell after Robin had left the first time. Her betrothed had sought glory and riches beyond his humble Nottingham life, and Marian had lived in constant fear of bad tidings. After years of waiting, she'd fallen out of love, having grown into a different person in his absence. When he'd returned, she was already falling for Sir Guy of Gisborne, who had replaced Robin at Locksley. He'd regretted leaving for war, believing that he would still have Marian and Locksley if he hadn't gone.

And now, irony of all ironies, Marian was living that horrible fear. A knife wound to the ribs had led to an infection, and Robin had died a week later - never to grace Marian with his roguish smile or teasing again. Marian had been in pieces, and had barely registered what little information Much had on Robin's attacker - that there was a tattoo on his left arm with a slice through it, a wound from Robin's sword. Marian hardly cared - how could she possibly find a Saracen with a tattoo in the Holy Land when she was never allowed out of Knighton Hall?

But this morning, the nightmare was more haunting than usual. That was because of what she'd discovered the previous day. Guy's sleeve had gotten caught on something, and when it ripped open, Marian saw a large tattoo on his left arm - with a slice through it. Marian had understood in the space of an instant: she was engaged to be married to Robin's murderer, and she, Marian, was responsible for Robin's death. If she hadn't forbade him from killing Guy -

"**I know that there's no retrieving**," she whispered to herself - it was her well-worn mantra, an attempt to move past that part of her life, an attempt to find something to fill the void left behind by Robin. But nothing could fill that void - all Marian could feel was an irrational hatred and a desire to avenge Robin's death.

Picking up the candle, Marian walked over to her closet. The dim orange light slid over the now seldom-used outfit she'd worn as the Nightwatchman - an outfit she'd retired upon hearing of Robin's death. In fact, Nottingham itself was suffering with the death of Robin. Not only had the Nightwatchman disappeared, but Robin's faithful gang had gone into hiding, turning once more into common outlaws; Marian had seen Much only a couple times since he'd given her the bad news, and the experiences had been painful for both of them. From what Marian could tell, Much was suffering Robin's death much worse than she.

Allan-A-Dale, Marian knew, was now in business with Gisborne, ensuring shipments made it through Sherwood Forest without being attacked. Marian wondered fleetingly how Robin would have reacted to such news, but thinking of Robin only made her newfound hatred of Guy feel stronger. "**It's over now**," she told herself firmly. But she didn't believe it.


	3. Chapter 3: A Confrontation

Chapter 3: A Confrontation

Marian came up right behind Guy, in his usual black leather outfit and looking as gorgeous as ever, and whispered, "**Would you mind if I hurt you?**"

Gisborne looked at her in surprise, having not heard her come up behind him. "Pardon?"

Marian looked him straight in the eye, careful to keep her hands steady. "**Understand that I need to**."

Gisborne frowned, walking toward her in his trademark towering way, stopping only when she had to bend her neck all the way back to look him in the eye. "Why would you need to hurt me?"

Marian swallowed nervously. "**I wish that I had other choices...**" she paused as she searched for the right words to say, "**... than to hurt the one I love**."

A very ugly, menacing look crossed Gisborne's face.

"**I know I better stop trying**," Gisborne muttered, his eyes darting everywhere, Marian knew, in search of an object on which he could take out his anger.

Marian took a deep breath to steady her nerves. "**You know that there's no denying** -"

Gisborne shot her an icy, hateful glare, effectively silencing Marian. His next words were uttered in a sort of growl, barely above a whisper, yet more terrifying than anything he could have shouted at her. "**I won't show mercy on you now**."

Marian knew Gisborne wouldn't forgive her for mistrusting him. She was desperate to make her position clear - namely, that if he hadn't killed Robin, she might have married him, but also that she wanted her father left out of any forms of punishment for ditching Gisborne twice. "I - **I've been waiting for someone like you**," Marian stammered, feeling her attempt at explaining herself was failing miserably. "**But now you are slipping away **-"

"**What have you done now**?" Guy interrupted, contempt etched in his features.

Marian cast around for an answer. "**Why does fate make us suffer**?" she asked, not looking at him, beating around the bush in an attempt to evade a real answer.

"What does fate have to do with anything?" Guy asked, moving still closer to her.

"Don't you feel it?" Marian whispered. "**There's a curse between us - between me and you**."

"A curse?" Gisborne spat.

"I know you killed him."

"Why does Hood's death matter to you?" Guy asked, his blue eyes flashing menacingly, but Marian wasn't frightened. She'd seen this flash before - he was angry, but not with her.

"You lied to me."

"About Hood's death - ?"

"Yes!" Marian exclaimed. "I saw your tattoo, with the cut through it - I know you're the one who did it!"

"And how," Guy said, approaching her slowly and deliberately, "would you know that?"

"His servant told me," Marian said, keeping her chin up to mask her fear.

"You mean to tell me you're in touch with outlaws?"

"I think in comparison, your crime is far greater than mine!" Marian said.

Guy looked away, exhaling through his nose in frustration. "I wanted to protect you."

"I don't believe you," Marian said defiantly.

"Anything I did to Hood - I did it for you," Guy said haltingly. "He was an outlaw - a danger to you. I saw how he looked at you - he thought he could still have you."

Marian blinked. "Then _you're_ a danger to me."

"How?"

"You've just admitted you're a killer."

"To protect you."

"**Would you mind if I killed you?**" Marian asked sarcastically. "**Would you mind if I tried to? Cause you have turned into my worst enemy**."

Guy sneered. "**You carry the hate that I don't feel**."

Marian pulled her ring from her finger and flung it to the ground. The sound of metal hitting stone reverberated through the corridor. "**It's over now**."

Guy stared at the ring in disbelief. "**What have you done now?**"


	4. Chapter 4: An Attack

Chapter 4: An Attack

"It's the Nightwatchman!" Gisborne shouted from behind the door Marian had just barred. She stationed herself in the rafters and waited for Guy to find one of the other exits from the room. In a matter of seconds, he was below her, shouting "Where are you, Nightwatchman? Where have you been these last three months?"

Marian waited until Guy had passed below her before flipping down and taking him out, satisfied by the sound of the wind being knocked out of him. She reared back to kick him in the ribs when she heard Vaysey's voice echoing from the room. "Gisborne! Gisborne! Did you get him?"

She heard the telltale sounds of the soldiers stumbling down the hall toward her and abandoned her quarry, who was groaning on the floor. She had time to kill him, of course - he was curled in a fetal position, struggling for breath - but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Next time, she would be ready.


	5. Chapter 5: A Small Admission

Chapter 5: A Small Admission

Marian edged along the stone wall, listening to the sounds of Gisborne's footsteps. She was foolish to be there - he had killed Robin! - but her body acted of its own accord, and she'd found herself in Gisborne's room, hiding in the shadows, waiting for him to return from whatever clandestine operation he'd been on in the dead of night. She was there just to hear him - to feel his presence. She'd never admit it, but she missed him.

_"You're stirred by him,"_ Robin's voice echoed through her mind, so clear that he could have been sitting right next to her.

She listened as Guy undressed, and heard him walk toward the opposite door to wash up. He was nearly there when his footsteps paused - Marian froze, not daring to breathe, and heard him sniff as if he'd caught her scent on the air. After a few, heart-stopping seconds, he continued from the room, and Marian breathed a sigh of relief. It had been stupid to come. It had only been a week, yet the absence of Guy's dominating presence was taking its toll. There was something dynamic about him - perhaps it was his fierceness, or his dark handsomeness, or the way his blue eyes seemed to emanate the love he felt for her. Maybe it was Marian's desire to fix him, or make him into a better person. But she doubted it was possible to bring Guy back to any semblance of normality.

However, the week had taught her one thing: she still had feelings for him.


	6. Chapter 6: Another Encounter

Chapter 6: Another Encounter

She was passing Gisborne in the corridor in Nottingham Castle the next day when he grabbed her arm, pulling her to the side and allowing some soldiers to pass. She felt an electric shock go through her arm at his touch, and privately chastised herself for her foolishness.

"One of your outlaw friends is working for me now," he said in a low voice.

"They are not my outlaw friends - I only talked to Robin's servant once, when I saw him at the market -"

"Forgive me if I don't believe you," Guy said contemptuously.

Marian glared at him, hating him, yet feeling an odd thrill to be standing so close to him. "Why are you telling me this?"

"I will kill him before he leaves my service," Guy said bluntly. "He'll lead me to the other outlaws, and soon your beloved Robin's gang will be no more."

Marian wrenched her arm from Guy's grip. She tried to look unaffected as she said, "Why would this news affect me?"

A smirk played across Guy's face. "It affects you, Marian. You're a good actress - but you're not that good."

He started to walk away from her, but before her mind had caught up with her mouth, she said, "Guy!"

His shoulders tensed, and he turned slowly to face her again.

"I - " But she didn't know what she wanted to say. "I still love you" seemed so stupid when she was feeling so much hatred at the same time.

"I had feelings for you, Marian," Guy said in a husky voice, barely audible. "I made no bones about that."

"I had feelings for you, too," Marian said truthfully, tears filling her eyes. "Until I found out what you were turning into." And with that, she walked away, leaving Gisborne breathing rather heavily.


	7. Chapter 7: A Liaison at the Trip Inn

Chapter 7: A Liaison at the Trip Inn

"I need to talk to you."

Allan-A-Dale started in surprise at the all-too-familiar voice that issued from under the hood of the person next to him at the Trip Inn.

"In private," the voice said more urgently, before sweeping away to a private room.

Allan waited two minutes before following.

Marian was standing by the window, staring outside with a worried expression, when Allan entered the room. As soon as he shut the door, she said, "You're working for Gisborne?"

Allan adopted one of his roguish smiles. "I think of it more as collaboration -"

"He intends to kill you," Marian said roughly, coming away from the window.

Allan laughed. "Course he does, Marian! He intends to kill everyone! He's not all there, if you know what I-" He stopped suddenly, embarrassed, and glanced at Marian shiftily. "Well, you know what I..."

Marian pursed her lips. "He doesn't just intend to kill you. He's going to let you lead him to Much and the others, and then he'll kill all of you."

"I'd like to see him try!" Allan said with bravado. "He's tried killing us before!"

"That was with Robin!" Marian snapped. "And besides, Guy's feeling particularly vindictive about you lot lately."

"Why?" Allan said, becoming serious for the first time since he'd entered the room. "Does it have to do with the rumor that your wedding is off?"

Marian lifted her chin with dignity. "Perhaps."

Allan shook his head in understanding. "You found out about the tattoo." He gave her a sidelong look. "Did you confront him?"

Marian nodded. Allan looked impressed. "I'm not being funny... but I can't believe you're still alive." He looked at her as if he were just discovering who she really was.

"I'm serious about Guy," Marian continued doggedly. "You won't be much good to the poor if you're dead."

"We aren't much good to the poor alive, either, Marian," Allan said. "Not without Robin."

Perhaps Marian imagined it, but she detected a hint of accusation in Allan's voice.


	8. Chapter 8: A Metaphorical Corner

Chapter 8: A Metaphorical Corner

"You were seen at the pub yesterday," Guy said as he paced in front of the hearth at Knighton Hall. It was midmorning, and Marian was in her dressing gown with her hair in disarray, having been called downstairs before she was completely dressed. "Talking to Allan-A-Dale."

Marian gave him a politely confused look, a look which had once worked on him, but no longer.

"Did you give him a warning?" Guy asked sardonically. His eyes were especially blue because of the morning sunlight streaming through the windows, and his anger at her latest indiscretion was palpable. She suppressed a shiver.

"They feed the poor -" she started.

"They're outlaws!" Guy shouted, making Marian flinch, but she would not be cowed. She was used to his sudden flashes of anger, and a part of her had missed the tension it always created between them.

"You'll get what you want anyway!" Marian shouted back. "Robin is dead, you'll exterminate the outlaws, and soon after, the poor will die of starvation! You and the sheriff will have your way! Only I wonder who you will tax once the poor are gone?"

"Are you in contact with the Nightwatchman?" Guy asked suddenly.

Marian blinked. "With who?"

"The Nightwatchman. I assumed it was one of Hood's men, and as you know Hood's men so well, you might know which one - "

"I don't know Hood's _former_ men, and I have never come across the Nightwatchman," Marian said unabashedly. "Are you condemning him to death?"

"The sheriff wishes it," Guy said, watching her closely as if he suspected she was lying. "You don't approve?"

"I never approve of murder," Marian said coldly. "Robin Hood's death should have taught you that."

"Really?" Guy said acidly. "And I thought all along it was because you fancied him."

Clearly intending to have the last word, Guy turned on his heel and made to leave, but Marian, wanting his presence to linger only a little longer, grabbed his arm and said, "Are you going to kill the Nightwatchman?"

"Yes," Guy said, shaking off her grasp and continuing to walk away.

"But why?" Marian protested, causing him to stop. "What's he done to you?"

"He defies me," Guy said in a growl, turning slightly to give her a meaningful look over his shoulder, again with the blue eyes.

"He feeds the poor, nothing more," Marian said. "He's never attacked you – "

"How do you know?" Guy asked, suspicious once more. "How do you know that he hasn't tried to kill me before? You believed Robin Hood was incapable of murder, yet he tried to kill me. What makes this Nightwatchman any different?"

Marian, unable to give an answer that would satisfy, pressed her lips together. She was affected by his presence too much – she still wanted him near, and her brain was screaming for her to walk away, but her feet, her stupid, stubborn feet, refused to listen to her brain.

Guy smirked, clearly relishing the metaphorical corner he'd backed Marian into. "I always knew, Marian. I always knew there was more to you than meets the eye." His eyes glinted. "And once upon a time, I wanted to see all of it."

"There's a curse between us," Marian whispered.

"Yes, I know," Guy said, his expression softening somewhat, though his voice was just as malicious as ever. "Between me and you."

And he was gone, leaving Marian, her lips still pressed together, standing alone in the middle of the room, and feeling cold despite the fire burning merrily in the fireplace.

"Marian," her father said, having just come in from outside after seeing Gisborne off. "This vengeance has to end."

Marian stared at him, half-defiant and half-pitying. "I cannot."

"Marian – "

"Robin deserved better," she said quietly, bypassing him for the stairs to finish dressing. "He deserved my support."

"He wouldn't have wanted –"

"We don't know what he wanted, do we?" Marian said, tears filling her eyes as she turned on the second step to face her father. "We'll never know."

"It's not your fault he's dead, Marian," Edward said quietly.

"I told him not to kill Guy."

Edward's eyebrows raised in surprise.

"He said Guy had tried to kill him, had tried to kill the king, and therefore, he, Robin, needed to kill Guy. And I forbade him." Tears now falling freely from her eyes, Marian couldn't bring herself to look at her father. Instead, she kept her eyes on the floor. "If I had let him, Guy wouldn't have killed him in the Holy Land."

She started up the stairs once more.

"You loved him, didn't you?"

She froze, her heart nearly stopping. "Of course I loved him."

"I don't mean Robin," Edward said, the disbelief evident in his tone. "I mean Guy."

This time, Marian was sure her heart stopped. She remained frozen on the stairs.

"Marian… this will be your destruction."

"Then so be it."


	9. Chapter 9: A Startling Revelation

Chapter 9: A Startling Revelation

_"I think you feel for him…"_

_"I knew there was more to you than meets the eye…"_

_"You loved him, didn't you?"_

_"I have to kill him…"_

_"I had feelings for you, Marian…"_

_"No. I forbid you…"_

_"… I made no bones about that…"_

_"This will be your destruction."_

_"Then so be it…"_

_"Will you… marry… me?"_

Marian woke, covered again in a cold sweat and shivering. The voices had swirled like a tortuous cacophony: her father's voice ominous, Robin's accusatory, and Guy's burning her very core. She could hardly stand the swell of emotion – loneliness overcame her, and there was no way to banish it – Robin was gone, and Guy…

Guy was still there, still alive, still breathing… still as enigmatic as the day they'd met… probably sitting in Locksley Manor, contemplating by the fire or possibly sleeping, but Marian doubted it…

She needed to know. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and lit her candle, the excitement of what she was about to do washing away the loneliness she had felt only seconds before. She didn't stop to think of the consequences, or wonder how she could possibly reconcile these unexplainable feelings the next time she felt that overwhelming hatred toward Guy. She dressed quickly, in her finest silks, because it was laundry day, and arranged her hair on her shoulders the way she knew Guy liked it, all the while focusing on the excitement coursing through her veins.

The well-beaten path from Knighton Hall to Locksley Manor was a blur to Marian that night. She didn't take in the moonlight bathing everything in white, or the fine dew on the grass, or the sound of her silks brushing over the tall grass; she focused only on her destination, and the thrill it evoked.

The torches were lit – he wasn't asleep! – and there were none of the usual guards outside. Marian supposed it was because Guy was feeling complacent now that Robin was dead. The thought should have stopped her in her tracks, but the irrational excitement had her adrenaline pumping, and those stubborn feet kept her moving in her finely-honed, swift way, hardly making a sound as she approached Locksley.

It was strange – while seconds ago, she was oblivious to the world around her, Marian now felt like her senses were in hyperdrive. The sounds of tiny twigs snapping beneath her feet; the subtle, woodsy smell of the trees around her; the cool, soft breeze, which swept across her as she emerged from the protection of the forest, bringing a small reprieve to her fevered brow; and the vision of Locksley Manor, illuminated by firelight, the windows of which were reflected in Locksley Pond. It all felt so inviting, and so right, that Marian felt as if her whole life had been leading up to this moment. As she approached the water's edge – where she'd once watched Robin emerge completely wet after rescuing an accused witch – a startling revelation came to her, causing her to stop in her tracks and stare at the soft orange squares shimmering on the still pond.

Robin had never made her feel this way.

Slowly, Marian sank to the ground, her gaze moving to Locksley itself. She knew Guy was inside, and the prospect of what was to come thrilled her. She crouched low, her fingers lightly touching the damp, cool earth, contemplating the epiphany she'd just experienced.

Did this mean… was she in love with Guy after all?

Why had she been so adamant about avenging Robin's death? He'd ditched her – once to go to war, a second time to duck into the woods with his friends, and a third, and last time, to go back to war. Robin had claimed to care for her at every turn, yet when it was important – when she'd begged him to stay on the sheriff's good side and remain the Earl of Huntington – Robin had ignored her warnings, and it had landed him in the woods. He'd even tried enticing her into running away with him, despite the peasants that counted on her, and despite her father. Robin had claimed to love her, through and through, but the truth was, Marian always came second with him. To Robin, earning universal popularity was his primary love.

But Guy…

Guy had always made it perfectly clear that he was in love with her. Perhaps not at first, when he'd just thought her a pretty girl, but later, after he'd gotten to know her spirit and strong will, she'd begun to notice a change in him. She could see it in his eyes – what was first lust had slowly softened to love, an intense, terrifying love that made Marian feel trapped, but why? Why had she felt trapped? Was she really scared of Guy? Was she scared of losing Robin's respect and love? That was no longer an issue, of course, but Marian rather felt Robin's presence at certain times, like in her dreams, or at Locksley… except now, crouching in the tall grass at Locksley Pond, her mind consumed with visions of Guy preparing for bed, in various states of undress…

No, Marian felt that she was scared of what she would become if she got involved with Guy. He had already blurred the lines between right and wrong for her, whereas with Robin, it was always stark and solid, a dependable line which could never be crossed. Marian didn't know what kind of effect Guy would have on her – his presence was always so dominating that sometimes she felt she'd be smothered by it. Other times, she felt like she was the cause for his presence; watching him from afar, he never seemed quite as dominant as he did when he was aware of her… perhaps, at those times, he was hyperaware…

A sudden darkness stole over the pond, and Marian realized that one of the rooms at Locksley had been darkened. Someone – presumably Guy – was extinguishing the torches, preparing for bed.

It was now or never.

Of all the feelings that had washed over Marian as she crouched by the pond, fear was conspicuously absent. Was it the desire to banish the loneliness? The desire to find out just what would happen if she went to see Guy? Was it total abandon of her livelihood, an attempt to ruin herself in such an advanced state of grief over the loss of Robin, and all that was good?

These question didn't pass through Marian's mind. It was miraculously clear, as if the extinguished torch had wiped her mind blank, with only one thing at the end of a long, dark tunnel – Guy.

She crept around the pond as another torch went out. She could tell there was still a fire in the fireplace, but there was probably only one torch left – then Guy would make his way upstairs.

Just as she approached the front door to Locksley Manor, the last torch went out. Undeterred, she knocked quietly, her breathing becoming shallower in anticipation as she heard the trademark heavy footsteps of Guy approaching the door.


	10. Chapter 10: A Dream and then Reality

Chapter 10: A Dream and then Reality

"Do you know the hour?" Gisborne said in a cross voice as he came toward the door. "It better be important."

He opened the door, and Marian's breath caught in her throat as a bare-shouldered and bare-chested Guy of Gisborne met her eyes, lit dimly by the moonlight and backlit by the dying fire in the fireplace.

"Marian!" he said, looking at her in genuine surprise. It was a flattering expression, and a nice change from the usual suspicion and anger he'd used toward her as of late. "What are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to you," she said shakily.

He looked her over slowly, taking in her fine silks and carefully styled hair. Instead of shrinking because of his half-nakedness, Guy straightened to his full height, possibly because he knew it was more becoming. Looking down his nose at her, the old suspicion back, he said, "Very well."

He stood back to let her pass, though he only gave her a narrow space, so that she had to brush against his bare chest to get into the room. She couldn't decide if he'd done it for his own benefit, or if he'd done it to further disconcert her. If the latter, it worked – Marian visibly shivered, and the motion was not missed by Guy.

"I'm sorry if I woke you," Marian said, deciding it was safer to stare into the embers of the dying fire rather than try to look at him. What was below his face was too distracting.

"You didn't wake me," Guy said, who was standing closer than she thought he'd been. "I don't sleep much lately." She heard him pick up something from the table, and before she knew what was happening, his chest was in her face as he leaned down to ignite the wick of a pillar candle with the glowing embers.

"Nor do I," Marian said, moving away from him imperceptibly. "Nightmares."

"What was it you wanted to talk about at this late hour?" Guy asked, straightening and suddenly illuminated by the orange light of the lit candle. Just looking at this enigmatic sight, she felt the dizzying excitement rise once more. "Or perhaps," Guy said, his voice dropping to a husky growl, "You didn't come to talk at all?"

Goaded, Marian glared at him defiantly. "Of course I'm here to talk!"

Guy was smirking, and he continued to do so. "I used to love when you defied me."

Marian softened immediately. "Used to?"

"Yes. It was very alluring."

"Alluring."

"Yes. But it's no use making those big eyes at me," he said, all softness gone from his demeanor. He was so cold; it was as if he had just extinguished the flame he was holding between them. "I feel nothing now."

Marian moved closer to him, that insane excitement swelling again. "Nothing at all?"

He raised his head, so that he was staring down his nose at her once more. "Nothing at all. Say what you will and leave quickly."

Despite how he spoke, he didn't move away.

"I'm here to ask you… not to kill the Nightwatchman."

Guy, predictably, rolled his eyes in disgust. "The Nightwatchman now? Are you in love with him, too?"

"Of course not!" Marian said exasperatedly. "And I didn't love Robin Hood either!"

"You were engaged – "

"I was a girl then!"

"And your feelings changed, did they? I shouldn't be shocked," he added as an afterthought. "You're good at putting on fronts."

"I loved him once," Marian admitted, "but he was gone for so long, and we both grew. It wasn't a front."

"Forgive me if I don't believe you." It was quickly becoming Guy's default phrase to anything Marian said to him.

"It wasn't," Marian said insistently. "And it wasn't with you, either."

He glanced down at her, as if he hardly dared to believe. He suddenly looked small, and Marian realized why he'd always seemed so domineering – he'd been protecting himself from her. Now, alone with just Marian, with all pretense and fronts stripped away, Guy was revealing his true identity. Sadistic and bloodthirsty he might have been, but Marian forgot these things in the wake of what she saw – a fearful, vulnerable, beautiful, half-naked man standing in front of her wearing an expression she'd never seen him wear – hope.

"I loved you," she said, tears choking her voice. "I did, I loved you, but you – you killed him. And I saw what you really were. And I thought… what sort of woman would love a man like this?"

For once, Guy had the good grace to look ashamed for his past actions. "I need the sheriff to raise my family name back to prominence," he said quietly, staring fixedly at the floor. "I have to do his bidding until the right time."

Marian sighed as tears spilled forth. "And still, after you say that… I can't stop myself from loving you!"

He flinched, as if he'd been physically stricken with the admission. "Loving me?"

"Yes," Marian said helplessly, hope and despair swirling inside her at one time.

"Marian…"

Guy was looking at her imploringly, as if asking what he should do next, but Marian had no answer. Part of her – the part that was screaming for release – wanted him to grab her and never let go until she dissolved into a state of blissful oblivion. But the other, quieter, more rational part of her was arguing that it would be her destruction. She was standing on a precipice, and if she took that step, she would have crossed the line held so strongly by Robin, the line that had been blurred by Guy.

"Marian," he said again, moving so close to her that only the candle separated them. Marian stared, as if transfixed, at his chiseled chest, her heart beating so loudly that she rather thought it would echo through the house. Guy slowly set the candle on the table beside them, his other hand raising to hold her elbow, perhaps to keep her from shrinking away, but she had no intention of moving. The screaming side of her was quickly drowning out the rational side.

He moved his hand from her elbow to her waist in a slow, deliberate fashion, pulling her to him, so that she was forced to look into his smouldering blue eyes. She felt she would burn alive under their intensity, but at the same time, felt a strange sense of warmth and comfort enveloping her. All of her misgivings and fears, all knowledge of their respective pasts, all feelings of enmity seemed to melt away with that look, and both were transported to a place separate from this world. The dizzying feeling of elation and passion seemed to carry Marian away, and she felt herself flowing toward him as if she were the river and he, the hard, unavoidable waterfall at the end – the precipice of her world.

He bent toward her, and all of her senses seemed awake. She could smell his trademark scent of cedar wood and leather, she could feel his body heat emanating from him, she could hear his deep, laborious breathing even over the thunderous beating of her own heart – and she drank in the sight of him coming toward her, his eyes bright with passion, his hair tumbling down his forehead, his cheekbones uplit by the candle flame.

"Marian," he said one last time, a low, burning growl, and the word seemed to burn Marian's very core. It was a plea, a plea to let him do what he so wanted to do, and even if she wanted to, Marian would have been powerless to stop it. His arm tightened around her waist as his other hand brushed away her hair, and cupping the back of her head, he pulled her the rest of the way, so that she was against his bare flesh, and kissed her deeply.

Marian never thought she would experience such a feeling. It was if they were melting into one person, and she found herself wishing it would never end, that he would hold her in his arms forever, kissing her so tenderly, yet so feverishly, and making her feel wanted, important, and cherished. She reached up and tangled her fingers in his black hair, something she'd always thought of doing in the twilight moments between night and dawn, lying alone in bed and letting her mind wander free. He moaned deeply at her first touch, and his kiss became more feverish as she moved her hands down to his neck, feeling his bare skin, savoring the sensation of his warm flesh beneath her fingers.

She didn't want it to end – she didn't want the feeling of his hard body against hers to be over – in fact, she wanted more. She wanted to feel him against her…

"Marian," he said a fourth time, breaking away and looking her deep in the eyes, his own heavy with passion and tender love, and she knew he wanted the same thing. "Marian, please…"

It was "please" which jarred her back to reality. He'd never asked for permission, at least not verbally, and the sudden departure from his usual personality gave her pause. With horrifying speed, the impact of what she was about to do came crashing down on her. She was going to surrender to Guy – the sadistic, terrifying underling of the sheriff – and she was going to do it in Locksley Manor, in Robin's old house – in Robin's old bed! It made her shudder to think about it, and she extricated herself from Guy's arms, leaving all warmth and comfort and crashing back to reality.

Guy looked at her inquisitively, still open and vulnerable, his arms still up where she'd left them, unsure of what had caused her to move away.

"Please, Guy," she said tremulously, tears streaming down her face, "Please, spare the Nightwatchman for me."

Guy's expression became shuttered and ugly once more, his eyes narrowing as he raised his head and dropped his arms. "This was an act. You wanted to put me off my guard."

"Guy… you don't believe that," Marian said. "I just… I can't be with someone who is killing good men."

"Marian – " he started dangerously.

"If you do this one thing – vow to leave the Nightwatchman alone for the rest of his days, and we'll call a truce… and go back to the way things were," she said quietly, holding out her hand. "We can marry, and have a family under the Gisborne name, and you… you can change. You can be a good person. I know you can."

As if against his will, Guy took her hand with a pained expression.

"Please, Guy," she whispered.

He brushed his fingers against her cheek, caressing her so tenderly that she could hardly believe such a man was capable of so much evil. She shivered at his touch, wanting more, yet wanting to shrink away. His presence was so intimidating, so dominating, and yet so welcoming and… male… at the same time. She remembered the kiss they just shared, and her body warmed at the thought of it. It was possible – they could live happily if he vowed to change. If he just -

"I can't make that promise, Marian," he said, his hand dropping away from her face. "I love you, but my family name is nothing without the sheriff, and without the Nightwatchman, I am without the sheriff. I will not die forgotten and without decent descendants. I will not fold."

Marian dropped his hand, overcome with horror. "Then you do not love me," she said, backing away. She was abandoned again – abandoned for the second time by the man she loved.

"Or perhaps I love you too much." He stepped toward her again. "You deserve only the best."

"I won't let this go. This is your last chance, Guy," Marian said slowly, tears dripping from her face. "If you go after the Nightwatchman, he will fight to the death."

"Then I look forward to the challenge," he said coldly.

"So this is it? Forever in love, yet forever at a stalemate?"

"The stalemate is your choice, Marian," he said. "If outlaws and the poor weren't so important to you – "

"I can't marry a monster," she said.

His lip curled. "Then a stalemate it shall be."

She took him in one last time – his black hair, his bare chest, his strong, manly presence, and the memory of their earth-shattering kiss – before she quietly said, "We will be free when it ends."


	11. Chapter 11: A Final Showdown

Chapter 11: A Final Showdown

The dagger had been ripped from her abdomen, which was now flowing with blood. Her stomach was cramping up, and she was getting dizzy, but she was gripping the sword in her hand with surprising strength.

"Who are you, Nightwatchman?" Gisborne spat, advancing on her. He looked worse for wear – on top of being covered in dirt, his left eye was blacked and his lip was bleeding in two places. "You've cost me a great deal – you and your Hood friend – in finances and in love."

Marian was sinking slowly to the forest floor, clutching her stomach, but still gripping the sword. All of her other senses were fading - the smell of the forests, the beams of sunlight through the trees, the sounds of birds chirping... all she could feel was the sword in her hand, and all she could see was the dark shadow drawing ever closer, almost as terrifying and breathtaking as her nightmares.

"Do you know Lady Marian of Knighton Hall? You're a hero to her," Gisborne said, stumbling still closer. "Stealing from the rich and giving to the poor, never standing for proper battle. Just like your friend Hood." He reached for her mask, and Marian, unable to stop him, braced for the unveiling. "It's almost womanly in nature – "

He ripped the mask downward, and Marian, summoning all the hatred and resentment she'd ever felt, stared at him once she was revealed.

"Marian!" was all he could manage, with a look of complete shock, before she gathered the last of her strength and swung the sword around, plunging it into the left side of Gisborne's ribcage.

He howled in pain, his face contorted, and Marian watched with a mixture of pain and satisfaction that she'd finally skewered the monster.

"Marian," he said confusedly, sinking to his knees, the sword still sticking in his side. "All this time?"

"Yes," she said savagely. "All the time, the woman you were courting was the same person going behind your back and sneaking food to the poor and medicine to the sick – "

"Clever woman!" he grunted. "I always knew – "

"You knew nothing!" Marian spat. "You didn't know I helped Robin and his gang thwart your plans for genocide and war. You didn't know that I snuck him in and out of the castle all those times! You didn't know that all along, I loved you no matter what!" She paused, gasping in pain as her stomach contracted painfully. "You didn't know that you had to make one simple promise, and not only would you have lived past this day, you would be marrying me in the next month!"

She ripped the sword from his side, causing him to scream in agony, and he fell over, clutching his side and grunting.

"And now you'll die alone and forgotten, the end of your precious family line, not even to be commemorated. The same way you let Robin die!"

"You will die, too," he said, looking pained at the thought. "You'll die here with me."

"But Nottingham is free," she said. "Vaysey is nothing without you, just like you were nothing without him."

"And this is what you wanted?" Guy asked. "To die alone and forgotten in the forest, for the sake of your precious peasants?"

Marian sank onto the ground and grunted, "Is it worth living after you've killed the man you loved, despite the fact he was a monster?"

He inched closer to her, and touched her face with his bloody hand. "I would have changed for you, Marian," he said. "You were the only woman I ever loved. After I killed the Nightwatchman, I intended to try to get you back…"

"It would have been difficult to do that," Marian grunted.

"I've always loved you, Marian," he gasped, blood bubbling in his mouth. "Always. Since… since the… since the day we met…" He gasped again. "And you were right… there is… **there's a curse between us**…"

And his eyes, the enigmatic, penetrating blue eyes that had always drawn Marian in and trapped her, suddenly lost their expression. They rolled upward, his eyelids dropped, and he slumped on the ground, completely immobile.

And Marian, her vision darkening, stared at his still body as tears filled her eyes for the last time. "**Between me and you…**"


	12. Chapter 12: Allan's Regret

Chapter 12: Allan's Regret

"We found her up the way," Much said morosely, his face uplit by the bonfire. "Dressed in her Nightwatchman outfit. She and Gisborne – they had a fight to the death, apparently. Stuck him good in the side."

Allan stared at the dancing flames as if lost in thought. He, of course, was now free from Gisborne's services, if indeed he was dead. "And where is his body?"

"Where we found it," Little John said in his growl. "We'll let the scavengers at him."

"I'm not being funny," Allan said, glancing at Little John incredulously. "But won't it stink?"

"It's downwind," Will said.

They all fell silent, watching the flames.

"Has anyone told Edward?"

"Yes, Much and Djaq told him. Poor chap seemed to expect it."

"Anyway," Much said, wiping his eyes. "I thought she should have a proper burial and commemoration. And when the time is right, we'll tell everyone who she was, and what she did for them. It only seems right."

"It is right," Little John said.

They fell silent again, and it was only broken once more by Djaq, who quietly took Will's hand and murmured, "Such a tragedy."

Allan stared blankly into the flames, thinking of the charming, strong, beautiful woman who had given her life for his freedom, for the peasants of Nottingham, and to avenge Robin's death. He'd always known she was made of stern stuff, but he'd never suspected she'd prove herself more capable than any of Robin's worthy band of men. He felt so much inexpressible gratitude toward her that he felt he would choke on it. He couldn't help but feel ashamed for falling under Gisborne's services, but he would never again forget the sacrifice Marian had made - and he would use the chance to protect the poor.

Robin Hood's gang stood there for hours, until the fire was nothing but smoking embers, thinking all the while of the heroics of Robin Hood and Lady Marian as Guy of Gisborne lay forgotten in the woods.


End file.
